Posts tagged “electro”

I have a tendency to discover new artists when they are already old news. In the case of Electric Guest I stumbled upon them through Youtube recommendations in August right after their single ‘Oh Devil” (Feat. Devin Di Dokta) had been released. I think this is probably the one song I’ve listened the most to this autumn. Love the falsetto vocals, the catchy melody, the Jamaican guest vocalist Devin Di Dokta and how they manage to bring a retro vibe into a modern pop production. They have a bunch of other great songs too, but this one is my favourite so far.

Chela is another artist I discovered around the same time through Youtube. Those recommendations can be a great way to discover new music. This girl has some real attitude, a very unique dancing style and an interesting vocal delivery from down under. I really like the creative music video for “Romanticize”.

Now over to something completely different. Found this gem of an album in the Turkish music section at Oslo public library. Just reading the title ‘Disco Folk’ was enough to convince me and their 70s Turkish disco hippie style assured me I had found a real treasure. Have listened a lot to this one over the last year. If you like disco and Turkish folk music, there’s no way you’ll be disappointed by Derdiyoklar Ikilisi.

I got interested in the Peruvian 60s and 70s musical style called chicha through an American Band called Chicha Libre and their version of the early electronic hit Popcorn (They call it Popcorn Andino). A little googling led me to Lucha Reyes, one of the most well esteemed Peruvian artists of the mid 19th century. She has a beatiful voice, but the accompaniement is also very distinctly shaped by the musical tradition of Peru and the Andean region.

I colleague at work told me my own music sounded a bit like Chromeo, so I naturally had to check them out. They really have a catchy sound, mixing analogue synths and electric guitar with disco, funk and modern electronica. It’s rare and refreshing to hear pop artists nowadays who are such skilled musicians, you can really hear these guys are having fun when they’re playing. “Hard to Say No” is my favourite track so far.

I watched a great documentary from BBC a while back called Synth Britannia. It chronicles the rise of synthpop in early 80s England, how a handful of bands grown tired of punk and progressive rock sought influence from electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk and Donna Summer (who fronted Georgio Moroder’s radical synth driven pop productions). The Human League feature prominently in this documentary, as they were among the pioneers of synthpop. They maintain some of the cold robotic aesthetic Kraftwerk have become known for, but nonetheless bring something more lighthearted and very british into the mix and became major trendsetters in the 80s.

It’s hard to describe Mother’s Finest. They really defy cathegorisation, and racial stereotypes too. Let’s say they are the most soulful funk rock band around, founded in 1970s Atlanta and still going strong! Discovering them was one of my definite musical highlights of 2017. Above is their studio version of “Baby Love”, but there is also a great live version out on Youtube.

Babe Ruth is another 70s rock band who did their own thing, this time on the other side of the Atlantic in England. Their sound is a mix between prog, heavy metal and spanish/latin sounds. Babe Ruth’s “The Mexican” was sampled by the Prodigy for their lesser known album The Dirtchaimber Sessions, which I listened to as a youngster. That particular song was my favourite on that album, so it was great to discover the band behind the sample some fifteen years later.

47 Soul was a big musical discovery for me in the past year. They combine acid house influences with hip hop and arabic folk music and have created a killer sound. Omar Souleyman is another artist to check out for more acid arab tunes. They have already been in Norway a few times, so I hope they come back soon and will not miss the next chance to see these guys live.

I visited the Faroe Islands when I was fifteen and have since been very fascinated by this little archipelago right between Norway and Iceland. Faroese Eivør Palsdottir or just Eivør has gained a following in Scandinavia and Germany, but has yet to break through in the English speaking world. I say yet, because I think she deserves a wider following, with her otherwordly singing and fascinating soundscapes.

Yellow Magic Orchestra are less known than their German contemporaries Kraftwerk, but they were no less important in shaping the synthpop of the eighties and in turn electronic music as we know it today. Rydeen is one of the highlights from their second album, Solid State Survivor, mixing disco with eastern musical elements. It’s an energetic and uptempo tune, which also showcases their pioneering use of synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines. Although the music video may look simple to our modern eyes, it must have been pretty advanced for it’s time.